


brighter than a star

by Pampam22



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 23:15:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17776070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pampam22/pseuds/Pampam22
Summary: Josie tags along with her dad and Hope to find a powerful new supernatural being after a huge light shows on the enchanted globe. What I imagine how Josie and Penelope’s first meeting could have gone like.





	1. hold my hands

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is mostly background and build up, the next one will surely have the two nerds (Penelope and Josie) fall head over heals for one another. There is some interaction between the two in this chapter, hope you guys like it! 😊

The only reason Josie gets to tag along to find this new and powerful being is because when the globe illuminated so brightly in New York, she was walking in to talk to her dad about adding some classes to her schedule when she saw him and Hope planning the trip already and got distracted.

 

“Wow! I’ve never seen it shine so bright before.” She’s mesmerized by the brightness and beauty of the light. Hope and her dad were surprised by her entrance since Josie always knocked, just not this time since his doors were wide open. They both just looked at Josie as she just stared at the globe.

 

“Have you ever seen the light get brighter over time?” Hope turned towards Alaric, shocked to see the anomaly right in front of them.

 

“No, this is new.” Alaric got closer to the globe, inspecting it to see if it was in the same spot as before. It was. “It’s definitely a witch, if I had to guess, or hope. We should probably hurry packing and hit the road before it gets out of control.” Alaric then turned towards his daughter. “Sweetheart what was it that you needed? Can it wait till after I get back or is it urgent?”

 

“Oh, it’s not that important right now dad, but on another note. Can I tag along, I never get to go on these supernatural rescues with you and Hope. I’m sure you guys could use a lending hand, considering that the light is probably glowing brighter than a star because of how powerful whoever it is on the other end of the country is.”

 

Alaric sighed, because of course he wanted to bring his daughters, but sometimes it could be too dangerous. Especially since they had to siphon magic out of a supernatural being to be able to defend themselves and because he didn’t train them in combat like he did with Hope. He thought to himself that this could be the first step as to getting more involved with the twins and getting them and Hope to hang out more often and become closer. He looked over at Hope and saw as she looked back at him waiting for a response.

 

“Ok you can come, but on one condition, you do everything I say when the time comes. I don’t want you getting hurt. Now go get a bag packed, we leave in 30 minutes.” Josie’s face lit up, she loved her dad and was excited to get to spend some time with him even if it meant spending time with Hope too. She turned and basically skipped out of her dad’s office and to room, full of excitement for the adventure ahead. After she left, Hope spoke out.

 

“What about Lizzie? You think she’ll be fine without you and Josie while we’re gone?” Hope was only 17 and she remembered the other twin when her own father didn’t.

 

“Oh, right, let me call her and get her here. Would you be okay if she tagged along with us?”

 

“I have nothing against the twins, Alaric. It’s the twins, or Lizzie, that have a problem with me. I can survive a long carried with them, but I don’t think they could stay the same, it’s up to you and them.” Even though Hope was always at Alaric’s side in battle and his go to student, she always tried to get the twins to tag along with them. She saw how Alaric didn’t include them in things that were ‘too dangerous,’ even when they weren’t.

 

“Okay then let me see if Lizzie wants to come.” He texted Lizzie and within a few minutes the blonde twin was walking into his office with her arms crossed.

 

“Dad, what is this about, I was doing important things.” What she meant by “important things” was getting that new vamp to be her date to the Christmas ball they had before all the students left on break.

 

“Hey honey, we have to drive to New York to find this newly awakened and powerful being. Do you want to come? Josie’s coming, she saw us packing and asked to tag along and I said she could as long as she did everything I told her to do. She’s in your room packing right now, we leave in 25 minutes now, so would you like to come?”

 

Lizzie glared over at the globe and was drawn to how bright the light was that she almost forgot that Hope was also in the room. “Has the light ever been this bright before?”

 

“So is that a yes?” Hope chimed in, not sure of what the answer was and just wanting to get it all over with at this point.

 

“Well, assuming that I’d have to sit in a car with you for over 5 hours is definitely unappealing. Plus, I don’t sit in the backseat and I can only imagine that that’s your seat on these “rescue missions” with MY DAD so no thank you and I have better things to do.” Lizzie now looked at her dad waiting for him to persuade her to come because she just wanted to see him for once, try to include her in something like this and put her before Hope. Alaric being Alaric, was clueless and ate up Lizzie’s excuse not to go, not hearing the cry for help in his daughter’s tone.

 

“Well, honey are you sure you’re going to be okay without your sister and me for possible the next day in a half?” Lizzie just looked at her dad, unsurprised by his response, but she knew better than to get her hopes up.

 

“Yeah dad, I’ll be fine. I have to finish planning for the Christmas ball.” She began to turn around to make her exit.

 

“By sweetheart, I’ll see you in 2 days!” Alaric hugged and kissed Lizzie on the forehead and she turned to exit but right before she was out the door she looked at Hope. “Just make sure nothing happens to my dad and Josie.” As much as she hated to admit it, she really did think Hope had a lot of power, it was just the fact that her dad spent more time with her than with Josie and her.

 

“They’re in good hands,” Hope replied smugly and with that Lizzie left them.

 

 

They were now loading up the car with everything they needed, from snacks to crossbows to wooden stakes. Once they were done and ready to get in and start driving Hope offered her preferred seat to Josie. “Hey, I always sit up front with your dad. Do you want to sit up there with him on the way to New York?” Josie could tell that the offer was sincere, yes being an empath was terrible at times but it was times like these where it actually helped. Josie was happy that Hope offered her seat up, but if she was being honest she really didn’t care where she sat.

 

“No, no, it’s okay. I can sit in the back, plus your probably a better co-pilot than I am since you always go on trips like these. Also, I really like the extra space in the back.”

 

“Are you sure? I don’t mind sitting in the back this time.”

 

“Yeah I’m sure, thanks for asking though Hope.” Josie gave Hope a smile since she truly liked the extra space which was hard to come by when you’re a twin, and especially when you’re Lizzie’s twin.

 

“Okay…but if you change your mind, I’ll happily move to the back.” They both got in the car and made sure they had everything they needed for the long ride: headphones, phone, books (Josie), and homework (also Josie). As soon as Alaric got in he quickly asked if they were ready and they were off to New York.

 

* * *

 

_Meanwhile in New York…_

Penelope always knew her coven was shady as hell, though she didn’t think they were capable of what they were now doing. As soon as she started showing signs that her magic was coming in, later than the rest in her coven’s, she was taught simple things to not accidently kill someone. It wasn’t until she turned 16 when things took a turn for the worst. She found out that the reason that her coven had some of the most powerful witches was because they loved to dabble with black magic. Then to make matters worse she found out about the coming of age ritual they were known for. It involved pitting all the 16-year old’s against one another to prove how strong they were and that they belonged to be in the coven. Sure, Penelope put on a badass persona around everyone but now thinking about that the fact that she would have to possibly kill someone or get killed, she was scared out of her mind.

“Penelope get your ass over here, you’re going to have to practice if you want to stay alive and stay in the coven.”

 

Penelope made her way over to her enchanted backyard where no human could really see what was going on there, only the witches that enchanted it.

 

“Wow dad, I didn’t think you really cared about me.” Penelope was always forced to portray this persona since her parents were too invested in witchly activities most of her life and since she was raised by her older sister who died when she was 16 in her battle when she was pitted against her best friend and couldn’t bring herself to hurt her, resulting in her death. That was 6 years ago now, Poppy, her dead sister, always watched out for Pen and made sure that she was well taken care of so when the time came on her sixteenth birthday she wouldn’t make the same mistake. Poppy taught her to only care about herself and that no one else mattered, she needed that mentality if she was going to have to kill to stay in the coven.

 

“Well, since it reflects terribly upon your family if you die, it wouldn’t hurt to actually give you useful tricks for your ritual.”

 

“There it is! And to think, for a split second, I actually thought you cared about your remaining living kin.” They got to it and held nothing back, if she was going to learn, she would have to see what it really felt like being attacked and how fast she needs to react.

 

Penelope had isolated herself and practiced on her own, she knew that her coven only taught black magic and that this sort of magic could take over a person. She wouldn’t let that happen to her though, she was more than just her coven and when the time came they would know it too, she wasn’t doing this for her family she was doing it for herself, she was doing it for Poppy.

 

* * *

 

The image of her dead sister was all she could see as her latest victim’s lifeless body dropped to the ground. This was the third person she went up against in the last 42 hours, there were only two people left now, her and another boy she never really knew. He watched from afar observing what little to no weaknesses she had. She could feel the black magic surging through her body as it took over her with each kill. It was taking over her now and she had left herself vulnerable to it when she had thought about her sister, it was her breaking point. She lost control.

 

Penelope, overcome by the black magic began to light everyone and everything one by one on fire, not able to control herself. Just as she claimed her last victim, the boy, her last opponent, in came crashing three strangers. The one with the reddish brown hair said something and everything froze except for her, the other two intruders, and Penelope. Just as the girl was about to say something to her and began to make her way towards Penelope, she was sent flying into the walls of the coven’s domain. She was so preoccupied on that girl that she failed to notice the brunette was now right in front of her and grabbing her hands. She wasn’t sure if she was seeing things or not and if this was real life because this girl was the most beautiful person she had ever encountered and she was holding her hands, but why were her hands shining red?

 

“Josie! I told you to stay here! You don’t know if she’s using black magic and it could affect you when you siphon her!” Penelope heard the man scream at the girl, who did he think he was screaming at this perfect being in front of her?

 

“Well, dad do you have a better idea? Cause Hope’s kind of knocked out and all you have to offer at the moment is a crossbow, and we’re not using that on her. We don’t know the whole story and I would find it hard to believe that someone with a face like that would really want to hurt anyone.”

 

Wait, did she hear that last part right? She wasn’t sure as she passed out in what seemed the arms of an angel.


	2. is this a dream?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penelope wakes up and has no idea where she is or who these people are, but that girl is really cute.

“Josie she’s just asleep, not dead, so can you stop caressing her face for Christ’s sake?” Hope had endured enough of dealing with a heart-eyed Josie on the way back to the school, but when she looked through the mirror again and saw that Josie was still awestruck by the girl next to her, she decided she had enough.

 

“I’m not touching her face Hope, I’m just checking to see if she’s breathing…gosh.” Josie retracted her hand gently but then rested her head right in front of the stranger’s face since it was tilted that way. She wondered what her name was as she stared, because proper introductions were not a priority when they first met. Lost in her thoughts, she sighed as she thought that whatever her name was, it was probably beautiful just like her. She forgot what Hope had just told her and again caressed her face, tucking a strand of hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear.

 

“That’s it!” Hope had enough and just as quickly as Josie reacted to her sudden outburst, she cast a spell in which woke up the stranger.

 

Penelope awoke with the angel’s hand cupping her cheek and those big brown eyes staring at her, this had to be the most amazing dream she’s ever had, because it was a dream right? She placed her hand on the girl’s hand and realized that this was real, her eyes went wide as she realized she wasn’t home, she was in a moving car.

 

“Guys, she’s awake.” Josie exclaimed, this was news to Alaric since he was focused on driving and thought that the spell on her would last the whole trip.

 

Penelope was now wide awake and in a car with three strangers, she wasn’t sure what to do. “STOP THE CAR!” She knew she needed to take care of herself and until she knew exactly who these people were, she wasn’t going anywhere with them. Even if one of them was the most stunning person she’s ever seen.

Alaric wasn’t sure if he should stop or not, since they weren’t sure if this girl was good or evil. He took too much time to think and Penelope took that as a warning sign that she needed to go, so she took matters into her own hands and stopped the car with a spell she learned from her sister if she ever got kidnapped. Once the car stopped she got out and started running, even though they were quite literally in the middle of nowhere.

 

Josie instinctively ran after the girl, she wanted to let her know that she wasn’t in any danger.

 

“Josie wait for us!” Hope began to run towards them when Alaric stopped her.

 

“Hope, I think she’s got this and I’m sure you remember the last time you tried to talk to her.” Hope stopped and just watched as Josie got the girl to stop running.

 

* * *

 

“Wait, please! We’re not going to hurt you, we just want to help you!” Josie kept pursuing her even if she had to run across the country.

 

“Well why does it seem more like you’re kidnapping me?” Penelope kept moving, not stopping until she got answers.

 

“Ok, I admit, it does seem like that a bit, now that I think about it. But I swear we just want to help you, we saw that your coven’s preferred form of magic is black magic and usually those covens tend to be the most ‘loving ones’.” Penelope heard the sarcasm in the girl’s voice in the last part of the sentence and stopped.

 

“How do you know I’m not just like them?” She turned around as she said that. Penelope began to put up her walls, just like whenever she met a new person who tried to get close to her.

 

“When I look at you, I just see someone who’s hiding who she really is and I’m really hoping that the person hiding behind all these walls is someone with a huge heart. So, will you take my word for it when I say we want to help you, please just trust me?” Penelope looked at the girls face and was able to tell that the girl was sincere, but she had to know something first.

 

“I trust you, but can you tell me what happened back in New York? It’s all a blur, I’m not sure if what I remember actually happened.” She was careful not to add the part when she first saw her and basically had the biggest gay panic attack known to man.

 

“Well, since most of the magic you probably know is black magic and you were forced to um…kill those other kids your age, it took over you and you lost control, it’s kind of the witch equivalent of a vampire turning their humanity off. You set everything in sight on fire, killing everyone from your coven who was present.”

 

“Everyone?” Penelope felt a rush of emotions, unsure if it was grief of losing her remaining family and coven or happiness since she was free of them.

 

“That’s what we’re assuming, since no one came immediately after to see what was happening. Why? Did you have family there?”

 

“My parents.”

“I’m so sorry.”

 

“It’s ok, I was never close to them since the coven and power was more of a priority and not me. My sister was the one who practically raised me.”

 

“Sister? I thought you said it was just your parents there?”

 

“Well, it was. My sister died 6 years ago when it was her time for the coven’s ritual called the ‘right of passage’. That’s what you guys walked in on, it was my time.” Josie heard the sadness in her voice and didn’t want to pressure her into talking if she didn’t want to.

 

“Oh, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” Both of them forgot they were out in the middle of nowhere and that there were others waiting for them.

 

“I would love to tell you everything, it’s just that now that I realize, I have a massive headache.” Penelope stumbled a bit as she grabbed her head and Josie out a hand around her waist to support her.

 

“That’s probably because I siphoned a lot of magic from you back in New York, usually it doesn’t hurt, but since it was black magic I’m sure that’s the reason for the headache. Here let’s go back to the car, if you trust me when I tell you that we just want to help. “ They both started walking towards the car with Josie’s arms around Penelope’s waist, holding her steady.

 

“How can I not trust you?” Penelope looked at her and was met with brown eyes and a small smile, she knew she was in good hands, literally and figuratively. “Wait,  about you siphoning the magic, is that why your hands were glowing red when you grabbed my hands?” Josie’s breathe hitched realizing that if she remembered that, she probably heard her remark about her beautiful face too.

 

“Uhhh…yeah. Most witches have their own power, but the witches from my coven have to siphon magic from other supernatural things to be able to use our magic.”

 

Penelope felt the girls arm tense around her waist. “Ah, makes sense, and here I was thinking that a pretty girl was holding my hands just because she wanted to.”

 

“I mean, I didn’t have to grab your hands, I could literally have touched any part of you to be able to siphon magic, I just chose to grab your hands.” Josie did not realize it then, but that sounded a lot more sexual than she meant it to.

 

“is that so?” Penelope smirked as she found out that this girl was definitely into her too. Also realizing she still didn’t know this goddess’ name. “My name’s Penelope, by the way, Penelope Park.”

 

Josie was right, her name perfectly fit her beautiful face.

“I’m Josette, Josette Saltzman, but everyone calls me Josie or Jo.”

 

“Nice to meet you Josie, or can I call you Jojo?” Josie’s heart practically burst through her chest at the nickname Penelope just gave her, she wondered why no one ever thought of that name.

 

“Yeah! I really like that actually.” They finally made it back to the car where Hope and Alaric waited for them. “Penelope this is my dad Alaric Saltzman.” She gestured towards the tall man standing in front of the car.

 

“Nice to meet you Penelope, I hope Josie has convinced you that we only want to help you and mean no harm.” Penelope turned and looked at Josie and saw that she was smiling brightly and thought to herself that if she was to die right here and right now at least she would die with that face in her mind.

 

“Yeah, she definitely has.” They made eye- contact and now there was an awkward silence among the four of them.

 

“I’m Hope, by the way. I’m like Alaric’s right hand tribrid, which is why I’m here.” The girl she sent flying spoke up, noticing that Josie was too preoccupied to introduce her.

 

“Tribrid? What does that mean?”

 

“I’m part witch through ancestors, a vampire because of my dad and last but not least, part wolf because my mom.”

 

“Well, that’s umm, unique.”

 

“Tell me about it.” Josie chimed in, rolling her eyes since that was a reason why her dad always relied more on hope than his own daughters.

Penelope found pouty Josie cute, but she would have thought that they were at least friends if they had to sit in a car together for hours.

 

“Well now that we’ve had proper introductions and clearly established that we ARE NOT kidnapping anyone,” Penelope and Josie looked at each other and giggled as Alaric spoke thinking of what they just talked about,” let’s get back in the car and back on the road, the Salvatore school awaits a new member.”

 

They all began getting in the car, Josie helping Penelope into the car since she was still a bit disoriented from the headache. “Watch your head Penny, don’t want to get an even bigger headache or worse, a huge bump on the head.” Josie said as she helped the raven-haired girl into the car.

Penelope had been called that before but she never liked nicknames, but hearing it come out of Josie’s mouth made her feel some type of way and she became ok with the nickname right then and there.

 

Once on the road, Penelope began to doze off, resting her head on Josie’s shoulder, sighing in relief that she was now safe. Just before she was completely asleep, she heard Josie whisper, “Don’t worry your safe now.” She smiled knowing that someone finally cared about her just as her sister once did and fell asleep in the arms of the girl she just met, but of whom she knew she would one day do anything for.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kudos and comments peeps! I appreciate all the love given and am open to any feedback you guys want to give. IN THE NEXT CHAPTER WE'LL SEE A LOT MORE POSIE INTERACTION, WHAT KIND YOU MAY ASK? YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO KEEP READING TO FIND OUT. 😏


	3. welcome to the salvatore school

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang arrives back at the school.  
> Penelope meets her favorite person ever (she said in a sarcastic voice).  
> Josie shows Penelope around and they get to know one another better.  
> Alaric is an OK dad in this chapter.

Once they were a few minutes away from the school Josie nudged Penelope softly, but enough to get her to wake up. Penelope woke up in a daze she hadn’t slept well ever since her sister’s death, she looked up at Josie.

 

“Hey.”

 

Josie giggled at the greeting the raven-haired girl gave her, she saw that a strand of her hair had fallen to her face, but she was still a bit out of it to notice so she moved it behind her ear.

 

“Hey sleepyhead, sleep well?”

 

“For the first time in a while, yeah actually even considering it was in a car. Are we at the school already?”

 

“I’m glad, but yeah we’re about to pull up to the gates.”

 

“Gates? So, you guys are kidnapping me…” Penelope jokingly added. Josie obviously didn’t catch on though.

 

“Noo…the gates are for keep things out and us safe, there’s a barrier spell on it. We would never kidnap someone who didn’t willingly want to come. I’m glad you decided to trust us by the way.” Penelope was grinning so hard her cheeks were beginning to hurt because this girl was too damn sweet. They were both in their own world that they didn’t notice that they were now pulling up to the school.

 

“Now if you look to your left, you’ll see we have arrived at the wonderful mansion known as the Salvatore School.” Alaric was trying to play the cool headmaster but Hope and Josie weren’t buying it. Hope just looked at him disgusted after his failed attempt to be a hip parent, Josie was just in shock because her dad never acted this chill before.

Penelope stared out of the window admiring the beautiful school before her, she was in awe at the calmness of it all. Her public-school back home could never compare to this, everyone seemed so happy to be there and she couldn’t wait to see if that would also be true for her.

 

“Wow, whoever thought to make a school for young supernaturals is a genius, I would literally kiss this person if I ever got the chance.” Josie just chuckled. “What? Why was that funny? I’m being serious, I would literally kiss this person.”

 

“It’s just you have met the founder of the school.” Josie turned her head at her dad in the drivers’ seat and nodded towards him. Penelope was at a loss for words, she didn’t only have a crush on any girl, she was crushing on the headmaster’s daughter. Inside she was panicking a bit and didn’t realize her face was showing it. Alaric had heard the whole exchange and was thrilled that the girl already loved the school even though she hadn’t seen all of it yet. He looked at them through the rear-view mirror.

 

“As flattered as I am, I think a hug is more appropriate. If you really want to kiss someone, kiss Josie, I hear she’s available and she’s the reason this school is standing too.” Hope’s jaw dropped to the ground when Alaric said that and she turned to look at Josie, who’s cheeks were redder than ever and eyes wider than she ever seen them.

 

“Dad!”

 

“What? I’m trying to be supportive.”

 

“Dr. Saltzman, I’m not a parent and I don’t have siblings, but that was a little much.” Hope chimed in trying to help Josie out since she was a little embarrassed now. Josie smiled at her when she looked back.

 

“Well that’s helpful information.” Penelope said as she looked at Josie as they were now parking. Josie just gave her a reassuring look, kind of surprised that Penelope may like her too.

 

“Alright ladies welcome back home and Penelope welcome to your new home. We’ll get someone to show you around and to your room.”

 

“I can do it dad!” Josie literally screamed at the top of her lungs, she hadn’t meant to let it out like that so she took it down a peg or two, she cleared her throat,” …I mean Lizzie and I always show the new kids around, I don’t see why this would be any different.” Josie now looked at Penelope to see if she was excited as her to get to hang out more for a tour. She wasn’t disappointed when Penelope turned towards her smiling.

 

“I can’t wait. But who’s Lizzie?”

 

“You’ll meet her right now, actually. Let’s get out of the car because I really need to stretch. Also, I’m going to just apologize right now for Lizzie.” Penelope was confused about that last remark, why did Josie need to apologize for whoever Lizzie was.

 

As they were getting out of the car Penelope noticed a blonde girl about her age approaching the car, she wondered if that was Lizzie.

 

“Welcome back, guys!” Lizzie looked at her dad and sister, glad that they were unharmed. Then saw Hope making her way around the car into view. “Hope.”

 

“It’s great to see you too Lizzie, you know I missed you.” Hope knew that Lizzie wasn’t her biggest fan, so she like to mess with her every now and then.

 

“I’m sure you did, cause I didn’t miss you. Who’s the goth girl?” Lizzie looked at Penelope intimidated at her beauty, she didn’t need competition. The girl was flawless and really pulled off that much black clothing all at once, she couldn’t help her insecurity.

 

“Lizzie,” Josie shot her sister a look,” this is Penelope, she’s the last of her coven.” Josie grabbed Penelope’s hand, she didn’t want her to run again and knew her sister would overreact to a new girl, especially one this pretty. Penelope looked at Josie kind of in shock that she already managed to piss one person off at the school just by her presence.

 

“Great another witch I’ll have to put in line.” Lizzie turned her gaze towards Penelope and gave her the most ingenuine smile,” Welcome to the Salvatore school.”

 

“Thanks, so are you and Josie going to be giving me a tour of the place or…?” Penelope looked between the two girls.

 

“Well, I certainly am not, I have a Christmas ball to plan and Josie, I need help, so my dad is going to have to find someone else to give you a tour.”

 

“Actually Lizzie, I already volunteered to show Penelope around so if you need some help, I’m sure MG can help.” A look of shock was plastered on Lizzie’s face, she didn’t expect her sister to blow her off like that especially after she blew her off to go on this rescue mission.

 

“Well, seeing that my purpose of being here has been overlooked by bigger matters I’m gonna go back to our room if you change your mind.” Lizzie walked away, disappointed that her sister chose the girl over her after not seeing her for 2 days. “See you later dad!....Hope.”

 

“Bye sweetheart! Let me know if you need anything.” Alaric could already tell that Lizzie would need to talk it out later tonight. As soon as Lizzie was out of sight, he turned towards the other 3 girls. “Alright, ladies, Hope you’re free to go, unless you’ll be joining these two on the tour.”

 

“Oh no she’s more of people person than me, plus I think Josie would rather be alone for this tour.” Hope winked at Josie cause she knew Josie was crushing hard, the brunette shot her a look that could kill. She took the hint, grabbed her things out of the car and left.

 

“Alright you two, have fun on the tour, Josie text me towards the end of it so I can tell you what room Penelope will be staying in.” Alaric hugged his daughter then left to go to his office.

 

Josie and Penelope both turned towards each other, both feeling a bit nervous to be alone with each other. Jo was the one to break the silence.

 

“So, what do you want to see first? The classrooms, living quarters, old mill, dining hall, -.” Penelope cut her off, but her bladder was about to explode since she was asleep almost the entire car ride there.

 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to cut you off, but could you actually show me to the bathroom first? I was asleep the entire time and the urge didn’t hit me till we were out of the car.”

 

“Oh yeah, of course! Sorry I should have assumed you would have had to go, just follow me.” Josie outstretched her arm for Penelope to link with and they started walking towards the front door of the school and Penelope looked around at the school and the people. Everyone looked at both of the girls wondering who was the new girl and her story, she looked a bit intimidating to all because of the all black outfit she had on. The girls made it to the bathroom and Josie waited for Penelope outside.

 

Penelope was quick and once she got out, she linked her arms with Josie’s again. “So, what do you want to show me first, Jojo? I mean besides the bathroom cause it sure was lovely in there.” The brunette giggled at Penelope since she didn’t seem like the type to crack a joke.

 

“Well yeah, the bathrooms are great, but we are going to the dining hall first since it’s dinner time and you’re probably hungry because I know I am. Plus, you’ll get to see the different factions and meet other witches, make friends too.”

 

“I’m famished and yeah it would be nice to see the other factions and the cliques around here. For the making friends’ part, I don’t know if I’m up for that right now.” Penelope seemed hesitant to let any of that out since at her old school people had always been drawn to her without even having to try and she never had any actual friends since she put her walls up all the time.

 

“What? I find it hard to believe that it would be hard for you to make friends.” Who was Josie kidding, Penelope had to have everyone fighting to be her friend? She was not only the most beautiful girl she’d ever seen, but she was so nice for the time that she’d known her even though she had taken her from her home.

 

“I mean I don’t, people are usually drawn to me for some reason I guess you could say. But I’ve never had a real friend who I could tell everything to and hang out with, you know?”

 

“Oh, well you can always talk to me if you want, I’m a pretty good listener. Also, I can’t relate, I’m usually the more quiet twin.”

 

“Twin, there’s two of you? There is a god out there.”

 

“Hahaha, yeah you actually met her already.”

 

“That girl Hope? She seems cool…but you guys don’t seem close?” Josie’s face went from a smile to a look of shock and a bit of disgust.

 

“Nooooo……not Hope, we’ve known each other for like 10 years but she is not my sister. I was talking about Lizzie, she’s my twin, fraternal obviously.”

 

“Ohhh, that both makes sense and doesn’t actually.” Penelope tried not to sound so mean when that came out, she wanted Josie to like her.

 

“Yeah we couldn’t be more different you could say, she’s the prettier twin and more outgoing twin and I’m the ugly duckling with one friend.”

 

“I have no idea where you got that from cause you are without a doubt the prettier twin and the nicer for sure.” Josie blushed and was relieved that Penelope could actually feel the same as her. “Are you always this cute? Or does is this always what your like when you get a compliment?” Josie was a bright red and couldn’t believe what she was hearing, she was speechless at how bold Penelope was. Josie was glad that they were finally at the dining hall, because she didn’t really know what to say.

 

“Sooo…food?” Josie was so nervous now, no one ever liked her and now here was this girl who clearly liked her and she was being a fool. Why did she have to be so hot?

 

“Yeah, hahaha, let’s eat.” Penelope winked at Josie and the girl almost fainted. They ate their dinner together that evening, MG joined them just a few minutes before they left, but with enough time to meet Penelope. Throughout the time they were there every faction and witch clique made a point to introduce themselves to the new girl, trying to recruit her for their group. By the time they were leaving, everyone knew that Penelope was not a follower, but a leader. Penelope and Josie were now finishing their tour and going to Penelope’s room, they finally got there and Josie was the one to unlock the door.

 

“And to put the cherry on top of the tour, your room. You got lucky cause literally everyone has a roommate except for Hope and now you.” Josie was so cheery as she showed Penny her new room, “oh and in the trunk right at the end of your bed is a bunch of school clothes, we all have to wear uniforms, but the dress code is pretty loose. You really only have to be sure to always be wearing something with the Salvatore logo on it, otherwise, you can style and wear whatever you want.”

 

“Wow this is really nice, I forgot that I didn’t bring anything with me.” Penelope sifted through all the clothes already planning her outfits. She was from New York after all, she knew a thing or two about fashion.

 

“Oh yeah, I guess that’s was our fault, we could go back sometime for you to get some of your things to add to your room. Just say the word and I’ll let my dad know and I’m pretty sure he’ll say yes to me.”

 

“That’s really nice of you, you know I’m starting to wonder if this is real life cause no one has ever been this nice to me from only knowing me for about a day.”

 

“Obviously that’s not true, from what I saw at dinner.” Josie was wiping the dust off of anything she found in the room, trying to avoid eye contact with Penelope since she was sure to melt if she did.

 

“That’s where you’re wrong cause they were only nice to me since I’m the new girl and I told you that people are always drawn to me, it’s weird.”

 

“Ok, so then do you think that’s the same for me?” Josie now gained the courage to look Penelope in the eye to see her reaction, only to find the girl already looking at her.

 

“I really hope not because...” Penelope walked up to Josie as she talked, grabbing her hand at the end of her sentence.” I would really like to see where this goes.”

 

Josie smiled like a love-sick fool, because she wanted to see where and if things would go anywhere with the raven-haired girl. She looked down at their hands then back up at Penelope. “Me too.” Josie grabbed Penelope’s other hand. None of them had realized they had left the door open when…

 

“Josie are you coming back to our room soon? Oh…I see you’re busy..” Josie dropped Penelope’s hands when she heard her sister’s voice.

 

“Umm yeah I’ll be right there Lizzie you can go back.”

 

“Ok, but don’t do anything you’ll regret later.” Lizzie walked backed to her room, not wanting to wait there for her sister. Once she was out of sight, Josie looked back at Penelope.

 

“Sorry, again about her, she just has a terrible way of showing her emotions.”

 

“You know you always seem to be apologizing for her.”

 

“Yeah I guess I care too much, it’s kind of a problem.”

 

“Depends if you care about yourself just as much.” Penelope smirked at Josie.

 

“Yeah, you’re right. So, I guess this is good night?” Josie started towards the door slowly.

 

“Yeah of course, it’s late. Classes start tomorrow right?”

 

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot, here’s your schedule. We have almost every class together, so I can walk you to all of them until you figure it all out.”

 

“That sounds like a plan, should I pick you up at your room?”

 

“Umm…you don’t know where my room is?”

 

“Ahh right, that’s something where going to have to change.” Penelope winked at Josie and she grinned again, Penelope would never get tired of being on the receiving end of that smile.

 

“So, I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning and we can walk together. Good night Penelope.”

 

“Good night Jojo.”  Josie was at the doorway when she stopped and turned to face Penelope.

 

“Oh, and welcome to the Salvatore school, I hope you’re as happy as I am that you’re here Penny.” And with that Josie left, Penelope watched her walk away, happy that she had finally met someone who cared for her even before she knew her. She closed her door once Josie was out of sight and squealed in excitement to be in a place where she was safe, welcomed and could be happy. She plopped on her bed and fell asleep thinking about a certain brunette who always brought a smile to her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry this took forever, I got drowned in school work for the past week and had no time to write this. Hopefully I'll have another chapter ready in the next few days. Please leave feed back on what you liked/ didn't like/ would like to see! Thanks for reading! ❤️


	4. insomnia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penelope gets surprised early on by an unexpected occurrence regarding her family.  
> Josie decides to share a secret  
> Maybe there's fluff? 😏

Josie was walking to Penelope’s room when she noticed some people bringing in a comfy sofa to the girl’s room. She walked in saw that the room that was once barren, now containing a bunch of little things that were Penelope’s. She saw Penelope emptying one of the boxes by her closet.

 

“Umm…Penelope?” Penelope was a bit surprised even though she knew the brunette would be there. She turned and smiled when she saw it was Josie.

 

“Hey!” When Penelope saw that Josie was a bit confused about the whole situation she didn’t hesitate to explain. “You’re probably wondering where this all came from?”

 

“Yeah an explanation would be nice.”

 

“So it turns out my parents left me everything they had, since they knew that something like what did happen during my right of passage ritual. They put a spell on these guys just a week before to come and bring this all to me if anything ever happened to them. I didn’t even know that they knew about this school cause they never told me about it. Parents of the freakin’ year.”

 

“I guess they were looking after you in some way then, they had a backup plan in case you were left all alone.”

 

“Yeah it would have been nice if they looked after me when they were alive, but this works.”

 

“We can’t all have great parents, but sometimes it’s harder for some to show their love. Maybe your parents just didn’t know how to show you they loved you.”

 

“Josette Saltzman, how are you so wise at such a young age?”

 

“I have no idea honestly, it’s second nature I guess.”

 

“Hahaha ok do you want to leave now?” Penelope walked over and grabbed her backpack sitting on her new desk.

 

“I think that’s a splendid idea, don’t want to be late on your first day.”

Josie and Penelope made their way out and Penelope locked her door. After she turned, locked arms with Josie, and they were on their way to class.

 

“How did you sleep last night? You know first night here, in a new bed and all.”

 

“You know I usually am a troubled sleeper, but I actually slept well last night.” Well that was a fucking lie, Penelope told herself, even though it was different what she told the brunette. She didn’t remember everything that happened when she was awake, but the images of what she did haunted her in her sleep, and she was up all night. Why did she have nightmares when she was alone and not when she was next to Josie in the car?

 

“That’s good to hear, I would have thought you would have found it hard to fall asleep since you slept almost the entire car ride here.” Penelope should have just told her the truth, Josie was very understanding and smart, she would know how to help her. Sure, she was asleep for a good 15 minutes but then it all went to shit with the nightmares.

 

“You know I thought the same, but I was out like a light. So, what’s fun to do around here when we’re not in class? Any parties?”  Josie looked at her a bit surprised since she did say that she usually kept to herself.

 

“I didn’t think you’d be the party type since you usually kept to yourself, from what you told me.”

 

“Ahh, I did, but whenever I was not in the mood to deal with my parents or my coven I would go to parties to release some tension. Going to parties is therapeutic for me haha.”

 

“Oh ok, well in that case, yes we have parties every so often and the wolves or vampires are usually the planners but when the witches plan them they’re the best. They’re usually at the old mill.”

 

“So I take it that you like to party since you know when and where the parties are at?” Penelope smirked at Josie. Josie saw the smirk and blushed and did the cutest little laugh that Penelope had ever heard.

 

“Me? Nooo…I know a lot about the parties here because of Lizzie and when I go to them it’s usually also because of Lizzie, I’m more of a homebody myself.”

 

“Alright, Saltzman, we’ll see if we can change that.” Penelope winked at Josie as they sat next to one another for their first class. Penelope could tell that she left the other girl flustered with her actions, her red cheeks proof of it.

 

Class started out fine, but as it went on, Penelope was falling victim to the sleep she missed at night. Next thing she knew, she was having a nightmare and screaming in the middle of class. Once, she knew where she was she realized everyone was looking at her with horrified looks on their faces. She turned to Josie and saw that unlike the others, she had a worried look on her face and a hand on her back trying to calm her down.

 

“Penelope are you ok?” Josie whispered to her, confused as to what had just occurred.

“I’m fine.” Penelope turned to the teacher,” can I go to the bathroom?” Before the teacher acknowledged her question, she was out of the door. She didn’t know where she was going, all she knew was that she had to calm down, because she could lose control again. Next thing she knew she was outside by the garden pacing back and forth.

 

“Penelope… are you alright?” Pen turned

 

She was so out of it still that she didn’t really hear the question, she just saw Josie concerningly coming closer to her.

 

“What?” she responded out of breath.

 

“Are you alright? You fell asleep during class and woke up screaming, are you sure you got some sleep last night?”

 

“Honestly, I couldn’t fall asleep last night, I’ve always had nightmares since my sister died and I thought I would be fine, but I guess not considering I had nightmares that kept me up all night.”

 

The girl couldn’t keep still and was still heavily breathing on the verge of a panic attack, or something she just didn’t know. Maybe it was not sleeping with all the memories of what had happened coming back to her or just all the pent up anger and need for validation her parents never gave her or even her sisters death that was haunting her right now. Penelope just knew that she needed to get out of there because people could get hurt again, but Josie knew she had to do something, she had always helped her sister through her episodes and could help Penelope now. So she grabbed her arm and guided her into the woods without saying anything.

 

They had been walking for like two minutes when Penelope finally said something.

 

“Josie where are you taking me? You need to get away from me right now, I could hurt you and I don’t want that.”

 

“Just wait we’re almost there.” Josie didn’t turn around to look, had she looked she would have seen that Penelope had already calmed down since she had been distracted by the brunette guiding her into the woods. _But mostly because she was grabbing her hand now and wow did she have soft hands._

 

“You’re not going to murder me in the woods right?”  That caught Josie’s attention and she turned and saw a smirking Penelope looking back at her, she laughed and turned back.

 

“No, just wait.” They walked for a few more minutes and that’s when Penelope saw the small clearing.

 

“Wow, what’s this?” in the clearing there was a hammock hanging from two trees and a tire swing hanging on another. She looked around admiring the beauty of the clearing.

Josie was smiling as she saw the astonished look on Penelope’s face.

 

“This-“Josie started as she went towards the hammock and sat in it, knowing well enough how to sit and not fall off it. “is where I come to clear my head or where I come to just escape everything and have time alone. No one knows about it not even my sister, just my dad.” She patted the spot next to her and Penelope followed suit and sat down.

 

“If no one else knows about this place except your dad, why show me? How do you know that I won’t tell people about it?” Penelope knew she would never do that, she just wanted to know why Josie was trusting her with this when they had just met.

 

“Well, are you going to tell people about it?” Josie looked at her with an eyebrow up but with a grin on her face.

 

“Of course not, I wouldn’t want to ruin this spot for you. But really, why did you bring me here, when your sister doesn’t even know about this spot?” She nervously played with her fingers, which seemed pretty uncharacteristic for her but she didn’t know what else to do since she was alone with the pretty brunette she was crushing on hard since the second they met.

 

“Well, when you were having a panic attack I thought you might of needed to get away from everything and wasn’t sure if your episodes were anything like my sister’s, where as she destroys everything in sight and that garden was too pretty to destroy so…I thought a change of scenery and some space would be what you needed. Even if it meant showing someone my spot. Plus, I was going to show you this eventually…” Penelope heard as Josie’s confidence faded with that last sentence, because she was so attentive to everything the girl had to say. Her head shot up and she saw as Josie was now the nervous one fiddling with her fingers.

 

“Thank you for bringing me to your special place Josie, I won’t come here unless it’s okay with you. This is just what I needed and I’ve never really had a panic attack, honestly, I think it was just the insomnia and the recent events that caused it. Also, sorry I kind of lied to you about the sleep thing, I didn’t sleep at all last night and the last time I slept comfortably was in the car ride here, not even at my own home did I ever sleep so well.”

 

Josie was understanding, as she usually was, but it was different with Penelope. She felt a deeper connection with her. It hurt her, knowing that Penelope had a more troubled past than she was letting on and would try to fix it if she could, if the other girl would let her.

 

“You can come here whenever you want, with or without me, this spot is no longer just mine, it’s ours.” Josie turned to Penelope smiling and her smile grew wider when she saw the shocked but thrilled look on Penelope’s face. “Also if you ever need me to talk to or anything, I’m here for you, even if you have to wake me up in the middle of the night because you can’t sleep, I will be there to help in whatever way I can.”

 

Josie noticed a tear rolling down her cheek and went to wipe it away not realizing how intimate the gesture was, until she was doing it. Penelope just held her breathe since no one had ever been this close to her except her sister. She didn’t know what to do, she just stared into those intoxicating brown eyes and they stared back. Josie kept her hand on Penelope’s cheek as she internally freaked out at what she was going to do next, but she went through with it. She leaned in and was met halfway with Penelope’s soft and plump lips, they both smiled into the kiss since they were both unsure that they both had feeling for one another until they both went in for the kiss. They both separated to laugh when they realized that they both wanted to kiss one another and went back in for another kiss. Right when things started to get steamy, Penelope tried to shift to deepen the kiss and that’s when the damn hammock gave in and next thing they knew both girls were on the ground.

 

“I think the hammock has something against us kissing.” Penelope sarcastically added. Josie’s laugh grew louder than it had been when they fell off the hammock.

 

“Well it’s a good thing I don’t.” Josie stopped laughing and grabbed Penelope’s face in her hands and went in for the kiss that was so rudely interrupted. When they separated both girls realized they were still on the ground and helped each other up. Josie checked her phone to see the time and saw that there was a multitude of texts from Lizzie.

 

**_11:20 AM_ **

**_Lizzie:_ ** _Where did you go?_

**_11:23 AM_ **

**_Lizzie:_ ** _Are you with the new girl, did you follow her after she freaked out in the middle of class?_

 

**_11:30 AM_ **

**_Lizzie_ ** _: Ok, Jo you never skip classes and you’re doing that right now. Our next one is about to start._

 

**_11:35 AM_ **

**_Lizzie:_ ** _So you’re ignoring me. Cool. This girl is already causing trouble during class and is a bad influence on you since you NEVER skip class._

 

**_11:40 AM_ **

****

**_Lizzie:_ ** _I just texted MG and the others and no one has seen you or that girl since our first class, TEXT ME BACK SO I KNOW YOU’RE OK….and if the newb is ok (MG made me ask about her). I swear if something happened to you because of her we’re going to have some problems._

 

“We’ve literally been gone for like 20 minutes and my sister is ready to send a search party for us.” Josie sighed deeply since she never got to do anything peacefully for longer than 5 minutes as long as Lizzie was around. She loved her sister, though it’s too much at times when she just needs to be alone and Lizzie needs to see that.

 

“Let me see?” Penelope said and Josie passed her the phone. “Can I?” Penelope gestured towards the phone, regarding the text.

 

“Umm..sure I guess.”

 

**_11:45 AM_ **

**_Josie:_ ** _Sorry for keeping Josie for so long, she was helping me with something personal. I’m really not trying to get her in trouble or anything. This is Penelope btw_

Penelope showed Josie the message before she sent it, not trying to cause any problems in between sisters. Josie nodded when she saw the message.

 

“You know you don’t have to apologize to her right? You didn’t force me to leave class, I was the one who left to make sure you were ok.”

 

“Yeah but I’m trying to get your sister to like me since I like really like you.” Penelope said as she sent the text.

 

“I really like you too.” Josie grabbed Penelope’s hand and intertwined their fingers.

 

“Would you like to go on a date with me?” P basically blurted it out since she was nervous as to what the answer would be even though they just kissed minutes beforehand and were literally holding hands as she spoke. These girls were a mess when it came to one another.

 

“Really?” Why Josie was shocked, Penelope had no idea but she found it adorable at how excited the brunette got.

 

“Haha, yes really, who wouldn’t want to go out with you?” she saw as Josie’s cheeks turned red at the compliment. She had forgotten that she still had Josie’s phone in her hand until it vibrated. “Oh, here’s your phone. I think your sister responded.”

 

“I would love to go on a date with you and what does it say?” Josie allowed Penelope to read the message since she had been the one to respond to her.

 

 

**_11:47 AM_ **

**_Lizzie:_ ** _It’s fine, this one time. But I’m keeping an eye on you Penelope. But seriously you guys should get back my dad walked into class to see how it was going on your first day and was upset when he didn’t see either of you here._

“Basically, I don’t think she hates me as much as she let on when she first met me. But most importantly, we should head back cause your dad knows we’re not in class right now.”

 

“Of course he checks in on the class the one time I skip, just my luck. At least I have a good reason as to why I was gone.” Josie smiled towards Penelope and couldn’t believe they were holding hands.

 

“Yeah, I’m sure he’ll here about my little episode in class today.” She looked towards the ground, a bit ashamed of what had happened and not understanding why she was now having episodes when she had experienced trauma before.

 

“You don’t have to be ashamed about it, that was nothing compared to my sister’s episodes. We can’t all be perfect.” They were walking back to school through the forest, though they took their time, considering they were already late so might as well make the most out of it.

 

“So, your sister has a lot of these episodes? Is that how you knew what to do when I was having one?”

 

“Yeah, the whole school knows about it, because she kind of lost control in her first episode. She’s what they call witch bipolar, she’s been working on ways to relax when she feels she’s about to have an episode, but when all else fails it’s me or my dad who know how to best help her calm down. Me mostly, since my dad is really busy all the time. Though I wasn’t sure that what I did to help you would work because everyone is different. What got you to finally calm down?”

 

“So you kind of knew what you were doing but also had no idea if it would work, I could have hurt you, you know.”

 

“Well it worked didn’t it? Plus, I got a date with this really cute girl that’s way out of my league.”

 

“Trust me, you’re way out of MY league.”

 

They finally made it back to the school where Alaric had been waiting for them after someone saw them disappear into the woods. He knew where they must have gone, he trusted Josie, he was just concerned when she skipped class and went off into the woods with someone who still didn’t have full control of her power. He was relieved when he saw them walking out of the woods, from what he could see, unharmed.

 

“Ladies, I see you’ve been busy.” He looked at their hands, implying that they were skipping class for a whole other reason.

 

“Dad, no that’s not what happened.” Alaric just laughed it off, confusing both of the girls in front of him.

 

“I know, your teacher told me what happened, and I knew Josie would try and help since she has experience in that area.”  Everyone calmed down and just awkwardly laughed it off as if that just didn’t happen. “Anyways, you guys should head back to class. Penelope, if you’re not feeling well you could go to the nurse or back to your room for the day and I’ll let your teachers know.”

 

“Thanks Dr. Saltzman, but I think I’ll go to the rest of my classes.”

 

“Ok whatever you want, you know where my office is if you ever need my help.”

 

“Thank you.” Ric left the girls alone, knowing that Josie would be sure to get them to class.

 

“Alright so he’s not mad for the first time in forever. Awesome, but we should really get to our class right now or then he will be mad.”

 

“Lead the way Jojo! I’d follow you anywhere.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long I kept changing it and I'm not even sure if I even like this chapter but I didn't know what else to do to make it better. 
> 
> Let me know what you guys think


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